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Prashna Upanishad (IAST praṣnopaniṣad) is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. Literature regarded as central to the Hindu literary tradition was predominantly composed in Sanskrit, Indeed much of the morphology and linguistic "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" The Yajurveda ( Sanskrit यजुर्वेदः, a Tatpurusha compound of yajus "sacrificial formula' + veda The Samaveda ( Sanskrit: सामवेद sāmaveda, from sāman "melody" + veda "knowledge") is third (in the usual The Atharvaveda ( Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद atharvaveda, a Tatpurusha compound of {{IAST|atharvan}}, an ancient Rishi The oral tradition of the Vedas ( Śrauta) consists of several pathas, "recitations" or ways of chanting the Vedic Mantras Such traditions The Brāhmaṇa s ( Devanagari: sa ब्राह्मणं are part of the Hindu śruti literature The Aranyakas (Sanskrit आरण्यक āraṇyaka) are part of the Hindu śruti, the four Vedas these religious texts were composed in The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings The Aitareya Upanishad is one of the older "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad ( Sanskrit: बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् is one of the older "primary" ( Mukhya The Isha Upanishad ( īśa upaniṣad, otherwise Ishopanishad īśopaniṣad or īśāvāsya upaniṣad) is one of the shortest of the Upanishads The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the older " primary " Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the "primary" ( Mukhya) Upanishads Together with the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana and the Brihadaranyaka The Kena Upanishad (kenopaniṣad is one of the older "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. The Muṇḍaka Upanishad is one of the older "primary" ( Mukhya) Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. Māndūkya Upanishad is the shortest Upanishads - the scriptures of Hindu Vedanta. The Kaṭha Upanishad is one of the older Mukhya "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad (Sanskrit Śvetāśvatara) (400 - 200 BCE is one of the older "primary" Upanishads It is associated with the Black The Vedanga ( vedāṅga, "member of the Veda" are six auxiliary disciplines for the understanding and tradition of the Vedas. See Shiksha (NGO for the Indian non-governmental organization The main principle of Vedic meter is measurement by the number of syllables The Sanskrit grammatical tradition of vyākaraṇa is one of the six Vedanga disciplines Nirukta ("explanation etymological interpretation" is one of the six {{IAST|Vedānga}} disciplines of Hinduism, treating Etymology, particularly Jyotiṣa ( Sanskrit jyotiṣa, from jyótis- "light heavenly body" also spelled Jyotish and Jyotisha in English Kalpa is one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, treating Ritual. Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki The following is a bibliography of Hindu scriptures and texts. Smriti (Sanskrit स्मृति " that which is remembered " refers to a specific body of Hindu religious Scripture If you are looking for the singer see Shruti Haasan. For other meanings see Śruti (disambiguation. For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" Darśana ( Darshan, दर्शन is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" (in the sense of an instance of seeing or beholding from a root Pāñcarātra are Vaishnavite devotional texts dedicated to a single deity Sriman Narayana who manifests in different forms Tantras (" Looms " or " Weavings " refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions In Hinduism a Stotra is a hymn of praise These hymns praise aspects of the divine such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. Dharmaśāstra is a genre of Sanskrit texts and refers to the śāstra, or Indic branch of learning pertaining to Hindu Dharma, religious The Nalayira Divya Prabandha (or Nalayira Divya Prabhandham) is a collection of 4000 verses (Naalayira in Tamil means 'four thousand' composed before 8th century The Tevaram ( Tamil: தேவாரம் Teva means "God" aram means "garland") denotes the first seven volumes of the Śrī Rāmacaritamānas ( Devanāgarī: hi श्री राम चरित मानस ( Hindi / Avadhi) is an Epic poem composed by the The Shikshapatri ( Devanagari: शिक्षापत्री is a text of two hundred and twelve verses written in Sanskrit by Bhagwan Swaminarayan The Vachanamrut of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is the most sacred and foundational scripture of the Swaminarayan faith. Ananda Sutram is the basic scripture of modern Yoga composed in Sanskrit by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (1921-1990 in the year 1961 The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration ( IAST) is a popular Transliteration scheme that allows a lossless Romanization of Indic It is a Mukhya Upanishad, associated with the Atharvaveda. The Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads is headed by 10 Mukhya Upanishads The Atharvaveda ( Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद atharvaveda, a Tatpurusha compound of {{IAST|atharvan}}, an ancient Rishi It figures as number 4 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads. The Muktikā ("deliverance" see Mukti) Upanishad is the final Upanishad of the Hindu canon of 108 texts of the Advaita

In Sanskrit, "Prashna" means question. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical This book consists of six questions and their answers, hence the name. It is in the form of question-answers. except first and last questions, all other questions are actually a group of smaller sub-questions. As narrated in the beginning of this Upanishad, Six pupils interested in knowing divinity or Brahman come to sage Pippalada and request him to clarify their spiritual doubts. The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings Brahman ( bráhman-, Nominative bráhma sa ब्रह्म is a concept of Hinduism. Pippalada (Sanskrit Eater of the Pippala or Ficus religiosa is an ancient teacher of the Atharva-Veda and also a school of magic alleged to have been founded by him Instead of answering immediately, Pippalada asks them to take up penance and Brahmacharya for one year at his place. Brahmacharya (brʌmatʃərɪə Devanagari: ब्रह्मचर्य is the first ashram in Vedic culture in which a person is dedicated to the quest for self realization Upon completion of one year, pupils ask the sage, then the sage answers their questions.

The pupils who ask questions are:

  1. The son of Bharadwaja the Sukesha
  2. The son of Shibi the Satyakama
  3. The descendant of Garga the Sauryayanee
  4. The son of Ashwala the Kausalya
  5. Bhargava of the country of Vidarbha belonging to Bhrigu Gotra
  6. The son of Katya the Kabandhi

Each of them asks one question to Pippalada and answer(s) to it forms a chapter in the Upanishad. Vidarbha (Marathi विदर्भ is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. For the Wasp Genus, see Gotra (wasp A Gotra is the Lineage Pippalada (Sanskrit Eater of the Pippala or Ficus religiosa is an ancient teacher of the Atharva-Veda and also a school of magic alleged to have been founded by him

Contents

The questions

The first question is asked by Kabandhi concerned with the root cause of the universe.

The second question asked by Bhargava is concerned with the supremacy of vital Force of Life or Prana over other sense organs of human being. Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full"

The third question asked by Kausalya is concerned with the origin and functioning of Vital Force of Life.

The fourth question asked by Sauryayanee of Garga Gotra is related to Dream world of the sleeping person. For the Wasp Genus, see Gotra (wasp A Gotra is the Lineage Dreams are the images sounds thoughts and feelings experienced while Sleeping, particularly strongly associated with Rapid eye movement sleep.

The fifth question is concerned with fruits one gets by meditating on holy syllable OM. Aum (also Om) ॐ is a mystical or sacred Syllable in the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions

The sixth and last question is concerned with the being by whom all this known and unknown universe got created and who has sixteen vital things (kala) or who is called as Shodasha Kala Purusha.

First Question

First question asked by Kabandhi puts forth an important issue of spirituality. what is the root cause of this world? In fact, Kabandhi's question is literally "From where (which root) these people are born ?" Pippalada answers as if the question was asked about root cause of the world. He says that Prajapati created a union of Prana and Rayi in order to create world and their intermixing or mating produced all the things in the world. In Hinduism, Prajapati ( Sanskrit prajā-pati sa प्रजापति "lord of creatures" is a Hindu deity presiding over procreation Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Max Muller has translated this union as Spirit and Matter. For the Danish Colonel Max Müller see Second War of Schleswig. Term Rayi can be interpreted as all subtle and gross physical Matter and Prana can be taken as intangible spirit or active life force. Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Pippalada extols the greatness of Prana. Finally explains that Food represents Rayi (Matter) and from food, Semen is produced and from semen people are born. Physiological aspects Internal and external fertilization Depending on the Species, spermatozoa can fertilize

Second Question

Second question is asked by Bhargava of Vidarbha. Vidarbha (Marathi विदर्भ is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Question is concerned with relation between senses and Vital Life Force Prana in the body. Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Pippalada explains that Prana is the main sustainer of the body through an example. The question is "how many divine elements hold the body?, which among them makes body living?, who is great among them?" As an answer, Pippalada says that once space, air, fire (heat), water and earth (gross matter) and speech, mind, eye and ear said in pride that they sustain and hold the body. Then Prana (Life Force) tells "Do not be proud, I hold and sustain the body by divding myself as five forms". But other divine elements did not believe this, then Prana tried to stand up in anger, all other divine elements also rose along with Prana automatically, just like pulled up by string, as if when king bee raises all other worker bees also raise along with it. Then other divine elements realized who their master is and from who they derive their strength. They start pacifying Prana by praising. Rest of the answer tells about the greatness of Prana in the form of praise. Different forms of this "Vital Life Energy" ( Prana ) are described in the praise. Fire, Air, Indra, Rain, Earth etc are told be different forms Prana and is also told to be supporting outer world in the form of luminous Sun. Indra ( Sanskrit: इन्द्र or इंद्र Indra, Malay: Indera, Thai: พระอินทร์ Phra-Intra The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. Pippalada also tells that both inner and outer worlds are under the control of Prana.

Third Question

After learning that Prana is the main sustainer of the body and universe, Kausalya the son of Ashvala, asks the third question about origin of Prana. The question is " From whom Prana originates ? How does He comes into body ?, How does He stays by dividing himself? How he leaves the body ? how he supports outer and inner worlds ?" Pippalada answers that Prana originates from Atman (soul), the way like shadow of the person originates. The Ātman ( IAST: Ātman Sanskrit: आत्मन्‍ is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the Soul Prana comes to body by Atmans will. The Ātman ( IAST: Ātman Sanskrit: आत्मन्‍ is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the Soul He divides himself into five forms called Apana,Vyana, Udana,Samana etc and performs various functions in the body. Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" There are Nadi's (subtle channels of energy) in the heart in which Prana in the form of Udana circulates. Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Through one of the Nadi's, Udana carries life to heaven during death time if man has done Punya, and to Naraka if he has done Papa and to earth (human world) if both ( Papa and Punya ) are present. Merit ( Sanskrit puṇya, Pāli puñña) is a concept in Buddhism, and particularly in Theravada Naraka is the Sanskrit word for the Underworld; literally of man. Being in the form of sun, Prana gives light to eye for seeing, thus he supports outer world by assuming form of sun.

Fourth Question

Asked by Souryayanee Gargya, this question is concerned with dream world of human being. Exact question is "Which elements in Human being actually sleep? which are awake at that time (while sleeping) ?, among these who sees the dream, who feels bliss in it ? In whom all these elements merge finally as their final destination?" Following answer is given. The way all sun rays go back into sun at the time of sunset, so are all the senses of man go back into their master the Mind. MIND ( Moving In New Directions) (est 1975 is an alternative education high school in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. But still the five Prana's ( Vyana, Udana etc. Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" . ) are awake. The one who sees the dream is mind. During dream less deep sleep this mind merges into Supreme Reality the Akshara, or Brahman. Brahman ( bráhman-, Nominative bráhma sa ब्रह्म is a concept of Hinduism. It is final refuge of elements, then Self feels bliss.

Fifth Question

What fruit does one get who regularly meditates on holy syllable OM till his/her death ? is the fifth question of Shaibya Satyakama. Pippalada answers that OM indicates supreme reality the Para Brahman and one who meditates will merge into Para Brahman.

Conclusion

The answers to each of the questions are developed by Pippalada, within a perspective of great depth. Pippalada (Sanskrit Eater of the Pippala or Ficus religiosa is an ancient teacher of the Atharva-Veda and also a school of magic alleged to have been founded by him The language and concepts of the answers are often abstruse and esoteric, but one may get from them glimpses that are rational and perceptive. Thus, in answering the question on the origin of life, Pippalada starts with the origin of all existence in terms of matter and energy, and develops the answer step by step, till in the last one, he gives as the most direct and immediate origin of life, the sperm of the species. The answer to the last question is, that the ultimate supreme source of all existence is Brahman. Brahman ( bráhman-, Nominative bráhma sa ब्रह्म is a concept of Hinduism.

Sources

Prashnopanishat (Kannada translation) : by Sri Adidevananda publisher Rama krishna Mission, Mysore. Swami Adidevananda (1912-1983 was a monk of the Ramakrishna Mission. Mysore (maɪˈsɔɚ in English; renamed to Mysuru|ಮೈಸೂರು) (ಮೈಸೂರು is the second largest city in the state of Karnataka, India

External links

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